The votes are in and the June of the Months have been announced! The members have spoken and the spotlights have been filled! Congratulations to those who've grabbed a coveted space and thank you to everyone who participated in the nomination and voting process. We know it was hard to choose one character for each spot given how many spectacular critters we have running around! Junes's Surprise might have been Our Local Law Enforcement but who knows what the next will be.

It was nice being out for a bit of a fun. As much as Vivian enjoyed all the work she was doing for the diner, it was still nice to get out and do a bit of window shopping. Well her main plan was to do a bit of window shopping. But there was always a chance that something might catch her eye. Every good boss needed to award themselves sometime, right? Well that was her story and she was sticking to it. Which was precisely why she did not bring any of her siblings shopping with her. One, for the pure fact that she was pretty sure that James Jr. and Colin were not going to be at all interested in visiting little shops in downtown. At least the places that she had all intentions of visiting. Two, she was pretty sure Gemma might end up wandering off in some random direction and she would spend the rest of the day worrying about her little sister. As much as her family meant to her, a little bit of a break was pretty much needed. She was not a neglectful business woman after all! Today, she found herself wandering the streets glances in a few of little shops that she had passed on by. So far nothing had caught her eye. About halfway through her trip, she grabbed a quick bite to eat at a little cafe. She was pleased with the service, though nothing compared to the service of Avery's diner. With the meal complete, she made her way back onto the streets.

Vivian dug out her phone from her pocket as she heard the pleasant little chime of receiving a text message. A bright smile lingered as it was from one of her old college mates who was just dropping a hello and wanting to know how things were going. She moved a bit closer to one of the buildings, so she was not in the way of anyone passing by. Last thing she wanted to do right now was having to talk someone down from a silly argument over something so simple as she was paying more attention to her cellphone then where she was walking. It also saved her from a bit of an embarrassment herself. This bit of texting went on for a little bit with a lot of teasing from her about how she did not understand how anyone could handle going to law school without going utterly mad. With all joking aside, she made plans to call her friend later on once she was done with her bit of shopping. She glanced up briefly to the sky, watching some birds fly by. It almost made her want to sneak off so she could shift and do a bit of flying herself. But she had other plans, as she looked back to the road and eventually into the window of the shop she stood by. Her eyes lit up just a bit as she noticed the most amazing pair of shoes that she just had to have!

”Those are the most amazing shoes I have ever seen.” Vivian muttered under her breath as she leaned in close enough to the glass window but not actually touching it. The shoes that had caught her attention were a pair of light blue pumps that had a ribbon that would wrap around to hold them on one's feet with what looked like pearls sewed onto the bit of ribbon. They were so simple, yet completely amazing to her. She was easily fascinated by things that caught her attention. She knew right then and there, she was going to have those shoes. And no one was going to stand in her way! She took quick steps to the front door happy to know that the shop was open. Without any hesitation she walked inside, almost startled by the little bell that announced her entering the shop. As she looked into the shop, there were other things that had caught her attention from a couple of flowing scarves and other hair accessories. “I do not think I am leaving this shop with just one thing.” She spoke to herself but it was loud enough for anyone near by to hear.

Connor looked about the place, feeling about as lost as anyone could be. He had no clue where to even start. Honestly, he just wanted to figure something out, find something to get Ana, maybe get on the road to mending things, and while he knew that buying her something trivial didn’t make up for much, but maybe he could, because he had quite a chunk of change left that he’d been saving and saving for years, spending next to nothing on himself and making some good investments while he was in and out of trouble, and he got the feeling that things were hard for her, mostly because of him and his decisions, so he wanted to spoil his girl a little. Was that a crime? He hoped not, but even if it was, he’d do it again and again anyhow, just so long as it made her smile. He planned on helping her financially too, though he imagined he’d have to figure out a way to do that where she couldn’t reject the help, because he wasn’t going to take no for an answer. Even if she didn’t ever want him again, he’d make sure she was well taken care of. That’s just who he was.

Right then he was just looking around the shopping choices, not even sure where to begin, even as he wondered if maybe he could just find a woman who knew what she was talking about, and had a good sense of style, and he’d go with that. Motorcycles and things that ran on fuel were his thing, he had no idea what to do with fashion. His idea of fashion was a pair of worn jeans, biker boots, an old band t-shirt, and his worn leather jacket, plus a few trinkets and charms that either hung around his neck or around his wrist, little mementos of people he’d known and lost. But, swallowing back that instinctive fear of all things fashion, Con stepped inside the one store, and looked around, knowing he looked out of place and lost but damn it all he’d find something! He bit the inside of his cheek as he folded his large hands into his pockets, his 6’4 making everyone else in the place seem small, even as he saw a couple of the employees eying him up with something akin to snooty disgust. Yeah, yeah he was out of place. Tell him something he didn’t know. But oh well, if he happened to track some leftover motor oil onto their precious floors, he could sleep a little easier that night.

He wasn’t a nice guy, so sue him. But he was going to get something nice for his girl, whether he knew if it’d go over well or not. Just as he thought he might be crap out of luck, he heard the little bell at the door to the shop, and lifted his gaze from where he was staring somewhat blankly at the shoe options to look at the young woman who’d come in. “I do not think I am leaving this shop with just one thing.” She said to herself, and hey, maybe she could help a guy out, right? He turned towards her, one hand leaving his pockets to hook in one of his belt loops. ”Ma’am, I couldn’t help but overhear, and I’m wondering if you could help my pick something out for my ma-my girlfriend. I’ve made some pretty bad decisions lately, and I’ve been wanting to make it up to her, spoil her a little, you know? And since I’m way out of my league, maybe you could help me out? She’s 5’2 with beautiful curves and flowing white-blonde hair. And she’s got beautiful blue-green/gray eyes.” He said, not at all embarrassed to describe her, his tone loving, devoted.

Oh yes Vivian was quite convinced that she was not going to leave this shop empty-handed. The shoes she had seen in the window were just the tip of the iceburg. She would make a comparison to how close it was to Hansel and Gretel gingerbread house they found in the woods. Well if she ends up going missing from this shop, at least she happened to die seeing an amazing pair of shoes. She really had no idea where she should start looking. She just needed to not try to buy out the store and end up in debt all because she happened to go a bit crazy on her shopping spree. Maybe she should marry a rich man just so she could go on wild shopping sprees. Nahhh! She was a woman of her own and she was fine with living in the means that she makes. Just happened to be fine with spoiling herself from a job well done every now and again. She could still picture what her siblings might say if she happens to return home with even simply having two bags in her hands. What are siblings for if they can not tease you and you tease back.

Vivian had been distracted with her thoughts that she was caught off guard when someone spoke to her. She at first thought it happened to be a sales clerk that had approached her, though just from looking at the guy she was pretty sure he was not someone that worked here. It may not be polite to make such an assumption but she was pretty sure this was one of those times that it was safe to say. Even more so as he asked her to help him look for something for this girlfriend. She wanted to tell him that she did not work here and did not think she would be much help. But as she listened to what he had to say and just looking at him, she could not find it in her heart to turn him away. She was never the kind of person to turn away someone that needed help. “She sounds like a real lovely girl.” She spoke softly with a smile on her face. “And maybe even a rather lucky girl to have someone as sweet as you wanting to do something to make up for a problem the two of you had.” Maybe calling him sweet was not the best idea, as some men would sit and argue against such things. She just could not help but say things as she saw them. It would be wonderful if she met a guy who would go great lengths to get her something nice just to make up for something. “I would be more then happy to help you out, or at least try my best.” She said offering a smile to him. The sense of determination was already starting to build up with her as she turned away briefly to scan around the store before looking back to him.

”I am Vivian by the way. I figured that we could be on first name basis while we find your girl something nice.” Vivian said still smiling brightly. “So what kind of things does your girlfriend like? Does she have a favorite color?” She asked figuring the best way to find something was to get to know more about this young woman. “Or even if there is a color she wears all the time, we could start looking at that for an idea.” She suggested. She knew sometimes it was hard for anyone to remember every last detail about what a person may like but it might be easier to follow up on what the person in love observes. “I know these are a lot of questions but it does help to find things she might like knowning more about her.” She said in a matter of fact kind of tone. She was not too worried about the size of things as he had done a pretty good job describing that. This lucky woman was about the size her own little sister which made it easier to figure out the size from someone who was not here.

Connor knew he was so far out of his element that the road signs for the closest bar had stopped miles ago. He just wished he knew where to start, or what to even get her, because she just…he didn’t know. He wanted to get her to smile, show her he could be the boyfriend she always wanted, shower her with love and gifts, and more gifts because quite possibly that was the best way to start, give her those things that women enjoyed, the things bought by money, because he knew very well that she hadn’t been able to spoil herself on such lovely clothes and the like in the past five years because of everything she was trying to do, and he could understand that, knew that was his fault, so he decided to make it up to her. So when he saw someone new enter, heard her comment, he wondered if maybe she could help a guy out, it was somewhat reasonable of an assumption to make, right? Maybe? He wasn’t sure, knew she wasn’t an employee, but still, couldn’t hurt to try, right?

He spoke to her, hoping that she wouldn’t turn him down, because he really, really was rather desperate to get help in finding something for his Ana, and he was absolutely the worst expert in fashion, so yeah, he wasn’t about to bumble off and try to find something on his own if he could help it. “She sounds like a real lovely girl.” She spoke softly with a smile on her face, and he nodded, relieved she seemed friendly and willing to help. “And maybe even a rather lucky girl to have someone as sweet as you wanting to do something to make up for a problem the two of you had.” She said, and he smiled ruefully, not even minding being called sweet. ”I know I’ll never be able to make up completely for what I did, but I do know that at least maybe this way I can spoil her a little, since times have been hard for her.” He told her honestly, his gaze fond as he thought of her, before turning his attention to the young lady once more. “I would be more than happy to help you out, or at least try my best.” She said, offering him a smile, and he relaxed, relieved. ”Perfect. You have no idea how intimidating and snooty the people who work here are. They look like they’d like nothing more than to cut my b-er, that they’d like to kick me out.” He finished, smiling sheepishly.

”I am Vivian by the way. I figured that we could be on first name basis while we find your girl something nice.” She said, still smiling brightly, and he smiled in return. “So what kind of things does your girlfriend like? Does she have a favorite color?” She asked, and he smiled. ”It’s a pleasure to meet you, Vivian, the name’s Connor, and of course, you can’t even imagine how grateful for this I am. Not even lying.” He said with a chuckle before thinking. “Or even if there is a color she wears all the time, we could start looking at that for an idea.”’ She suggested, and Con smiled slowly. ”Blue. She looks amazing no matter what she wears but blue…that makes her eyes pop, and all the men jealous that she’s off the market.” He said with a chuckle as he looked around and then nodded towards one of the blue scarves on the rack of them. ”A blue like that. Bright, but not blinding, vibrant but not to the point of seeming odd.” He said, smiling. “I know these are a lot of questions but it does help to find things she might like knowing more about her.” She said and he shook his head, smiling. ”No, no, that’s fine, I know it can’t be easy trying to pick something out for someone that isn’t here. I’m just beyond glad you agreed to help me.”

Vivian had to hold back going 'aww' from what he said. She still found it to be so incredibly sweet that he wanted to at least get something to make up for whatever he had done. She was going to try to think on the positive side of things though, as it really could be anything that he had done to his girlfriend. “A little something is always a great start.” She said smiling at him. It was funny how things did not go as she had planned when she first came into this store. Perhaps it was for the better though, as she was afraid she was going to walk out of this place in debt. Helping someone else find something would probably work out as a good distraction. She still though whoever this lady was, she was pretty lucky. But there was no reason to be envious over someone she did not know. There was a bit of a giggle from her as she completely understood what he meant. Some people in customer service, really should not not being in that line of business. “Yeah, and it is always a complete turn off from ever wanting to buy anything from the place. It makes me wonder just how in the world places with rude sales reps happen to stay in business. But I should stop now on the subject because I can rant about that for awhile.” It was a pet peeve of her. She may not work in the same business but customer service was just as important in her line of business.

”Nice to meet you as well Connor.” Vivian said politely. Knowing each others names were going to make this whole thing easier to talk to each other. She had no problem helping out someone who needed help but she always liked to know who they were at least by first name. “As I said I am happy to help.” She said, as she was a firm believable that you should always help out as best as you can when someone comes to you with a problem. She had nothing to ask for in return and she hoped that he would simply return the favor for someone else in need. As she was happy to help Connor out, she did want to know more about his girlfriend so they could figured out something easier. “Ah I like blue myself, so I know just what you mean about the right shade of blue.” There was a difference between a pretty blue that was nice looking and yet still noticeable versus a blue that looks like you are a walking version of the blue computer screen of death. “I like to wear a lot of blue myself for the same reason of bring out my eyes. Not to mention I tend not to stand out too much wearing bright colors like yellow or something.” She preferred cool colors to wear though there were a few warm colors she did not mind wearing as long as they were not too obnoxious in how much they stood out.

There seemed to be plenty in this shop to offer to people, Vivian believed they would find something in no time. “Not a problem. I think if more people helped each other out the world would be in a much better state.” Vivian stated losing herself in thought briefly. Yeah, sure it was a pipe dream and one would probably even call it “Hippy Mentality” but she had always preferred for things to be peaceful. Her attention was quickly drawn towards a rack of some shirts that the fabric looked as if it was flowing. She had to go through a couple of the shirts to find one that happened to be the perfect blue. She held up the peasant style blouse in front of Connor so he could get a better view of it. “What about something like this? The fabric is real soft and would probably be good to wear as days get warmer again.”

Connor still thought it was kind of…sweet in return that Vivian thought he was sweet. He honestly had never been called that before, except maybe by Ana, but she was allowed to call him whatever she wanted, because he would never hate her for anything. “A little something is always a great start.” She said, smiling at him, and he rubbed the back of his neck with a warm smile of his own, chuckling quietly. ”Yeah, I mean, I never hurt her physically or anything but I…well let’s just say I disappeared off the radar for a long time, and she…well if I’d been there for her she wouldn’t have had to endure what she has. I know nothing will ever be enough, but I’m going to die trying if nothing else.” He said with a small smile. “Yeah, and it is always a complete turn off from ever wanting to buy anything from the place. It makes me wonder just how in the world places with rude sales reps happen to stay in business. But I should stop now on the subject because I can rant about that for a while.” She said and he laughed warmly, eyes glinting with amusement and complete and total understanding as well as agreement. ”I could too, you’d be surprised. I know quite a bit about the mechanics of shopping…just not so much how to actually do it.”

He spoke with a wide grin, chuckling once more as he shrugged a bit and pushed his hands into his pockets with a grin. ”Nice to meet you as well Connor.” She said politely, and he dipped his head in return. ”Pleasures all mine, Miss Vivian.” He told her honestly. “As I said I am happy to help.” The werefox chuckled and nodded. ”I’m very, very happy you’re happy to help because I’d be lost without you, honest.” The older male said honestly, grinning as he figured he was enjoying the woman’s company, she was friendly and easy to talk to. “Ah I like blue myself, so I know just what you mean about the right shade of blue.” She said and he nodded, thinking with no small amount of awe that she understood what he had in mind! Because she had a woman’s mind, and women were exceptional in most cases when it came to shopping. “I like to wear a lot of blue myself for the same reason of bring out my eyes. Not to mention I tend not to stand out too much wearing bright colors like yellow or something.” She said and he nearly sighed in relief. ”Thank goodness, because if you’d never worn pink often I might be a bit lost and out of luck.” He joked, grinning boyishly.

“Not a problem. I think if more people helped each other out the world would be in a much better state.” Vivian said, looking towards a rack of shirts, going through a few of them before holding up this lovely, flowing blouse that he knew would look great on Ana. Well as far as he was concerned, anything would, but he thought she’d really love this one. “What about something like this? The fabric is real soft and would probably be good to wear as days get warmer again.” She asked, and he grinned. ”I like it, it’s perfect. Just what I’d never have thought of, she’ll love it. Now…maybe we can grab something that’s blue as an accessory? I mean, the shirt is great, I’m definitely getting it, but I’d love to get her something decorative, maybe some jewelry. Too much maybe? What do you think?” He asked her a bit nervously, needing to get this right.

Vivian had to hold back another 'Awww'. He did stop any negative thoughts she had going on in the back of her mind at least. “It is never too late to try to make up for mistakes that hurt people, especially with the ones we love the most.” It was her own take on a quote she had read before. That quote had been something that stuck with her ever since, not something she would easily forget. This made her feel better about helping Connor out. There was a bit of a giggle from her as he mentioned understanding the mechanics of shopping just not the way of actually doing it. That was the first time she had ever heard anyone say something like that when it came to shopping. But as some would say, there was a first for everything after all. “For some of us shopping comes naturally. I am guilty of that myself. And my siblings love to tease me for that all the time.” Which was the honest truth, but every family needed something to tease each other about. “Though now I can tell my siblings that my love for shopping has let me help someone. Not that I think they will believe me but oh well.” She shrugged her shoulders.

Formalities were all out of the way, Vivian was feeling more comfortable with helping him out. “Or you might be unlucky and have to deal with a pushy salesperson. And at that rate you might end up walking out with the whole store.” She said softly before adding, “It is like they are all part vultures, they will make you feel extra guilty when it comes wanting to buy something for your girlfriend.” She whispered the last part to just to him afraid that one of the salespeople might come over and listen in to their conversation. It was good that he was able to answer her questions she asked without too many problems. Now that she wanted to believe in stereotypes all that much, but she was half expecting for him to say a lot of 'ums' while trying to figure out how to answer her. And it also helped that this was something that she could relate to in helping him figure out what to get his girlfriend. There was another big of chuckling from his joke. She thought she was pretty lucky finding something she thought would be a fitting gift right away. And then he said something else real sweet. If his girlfriend did not end up marrying him, she was a such a fool!

“Now I feel like you are a man after my own heart.” Vivian said with a bit of a wink. Not that she would ever try to step on someone else's romance, it was just too sweet for her not to make a comment about that. “I think finding a bit of jewelry would be great. Jewelry is always fun to add to any kind of outfit.” She said glancing over to the little section they had to for jewelry. There were plenty of objects for them to choose from. Even a few things she would not mind picking up for herself but she wanted to make sure to help out Connor before she helped herself. “So back to more questions from me, does she prefer gold or silver jewelry. Though it does look like they have some leather pieces if that happens to be her cup of tea.” She said leading the way over there and waving him over to join her while she looked over some things. “Oh! And does she happen to have ears pierced? It looks like they have some cute necklace and earring sets but I don't think it would be best to get something she can not wear. “ She said. Even though earlier she was making fun of salespeople in general, she kind of felt like one herself just not as pushy as some could be. That thought brought a little smile to her. She was sometimes easily amused.

Connor knew he was probably going overboard with the whole lovey dovey stuff, but it was true. He loved Ana with everything he had, and he’d do anything for her. “It is never too late to try to make up for mistakes that hurt people, especially with the ones we love the most.” She said, and he smiled warmly, chuckling quietly. ”Who said that? Or is that one of your quotes?” He asked, his eyes glinting with gentle amusement as well as curiosity. “For some of us shopping comes naturally. I am guilty of that myself. And my siblings love to tease me for that all the time.” She said, and he laughed, smiling widely. ”There’s absolutely nothing wrong with shopping unless you shop yourself into the ground financially. Besides, it’s far better to be good and know where to shop rather than be like me and go for whatever seems to be the most convenient.” He said with a grin, wincing good naturedly at an old incident where he’d paid way too much for something.

“Though now I can tell my siblings that my love for shopping has let me help someone. Not that I think they will believe me but oh well.” Vivian said with a shrug, and he grinned, nodding. ”Sounds fair enough to me. I’ll even provide evidence if necessary.” he told her with a laugh. “Or you might be unlucky and have to deal with a pushy salesperson. And at that rate you might end up walking out with the whole store.” She said softly, adding after, “It is like they are all part vultures, they will make you feel extra guilty when it comes wanting to buy something for your girlfriend.” Vivian whispered the last part and he did his best to keep his amusement quiet, grinning as he did so, shaking his head in that way that said he knew all too well what she was talking about. ”Oh yeah, especially during the holiday season too.” He added with a grin as she chuckled.

“Now I feel like you are a man after my own heart.” Vivian said with a bit of a wink that had him rubbing the back of his neck, somewhat embarrassed to realize that he was attractive to others. It wasn’t like he didn’t know what Ana thought of him, it was just that he’d always thought she was really the only one who’d seen his personality as attractive. He grinned nonetheless and chuckled. ”Well, I aim to please.” He returned with a grin. “I think finding a bit of jewelry would be great. Jewelry is always fun to add to any kind of outfit.” She said, glancing over to the section the store had. “So back to more questions from me, does she prefer gold or silver jewelry? Though it does look like they have some leather pieces if that happens to be her cup of tea.” She said, leading him over as she looked over some of the things there, and he tried to follow suit, but honestly still felt lost. “Oh! And does she happen to have ears pierced? It looks like they have some cute necklace and earring sets but I don't think it would be best to get something she cannot wear.” She said and he grinned. ”Well, for starters I think silver suits her more, she looks beyond amazing in leather, and she does have her ears pierced.”

“Ah it was a take on a quote I read. In a book called Safe Haven. I mean I am sure it is out there in other books and such, but that is where I happened to have read it. “ Vivian said softly. “Though I did take it a bit of a poetic spin on the quote, as it was something that seemed to be pretty fitting for what we are talking about.” She liked to share quotes with people especially if they helped the person out in some way. Sure, motivational stuff can seem tiresome and boring. But at the same time, she believed that everyone could use some encouraging words when things are looking bad. A little bit kind words to brighten someone's day. She did let out a bit of a nervous chuckle as he mentioned just not shopping to the point of putting herself into debt. “Yeah that is completely true. Going into debt over something as silly shopping.” Really though she would never shop to that point but she did really like to shop a whole bunch.

Vivian chuckled a little at what he had said. “Sounds good!” She smiled brightly at that. It was funny how she went from simply helping out Connor to actually have some fun with a little bit of joking around. Just went along with how you can never know what kind of things would turn out. This even seemed to bring out a bit of her silly side as she mentioned that some of the salespeople could be pretty much not at all fun to deal with. “Oh yeah, Holiday season. “ She shuddered just thinking about that. “Though I will admit I feel sorry for some of the salespeople that have to work during Black Friday. The worst concept ever made. Be all thankful for things you have the day before, only to spend the next day running around frantically to grab some crazy sales for more random stuff they do not need.” She said shaking her head. She never understood that concept and why she avoided that day like the plague. Though it did bring in great business for people needing to grab a bite to eat. “And that is usually why during the holiday season I order everything online. Or at least most of the things I get for people.”

This little mission to helping Connor out was successful. Vivian was so happy that she was able to help him out. As she hated so much if she was not able to help someone who asked for help. With the shirt that she thought would be liked by Connor's girlfriend. She hoped the lady would like her taste of clothing but she felt like it was something that she would enjoy. Connor had been really helpful in figuring out what would be best for his girlfriend. “All right. “ She said looking over at the shirt again that she had helped pick out. She reached out for a flower jewelry set that she thought would look good with the shirt. She also grabbed another onethat was a little more elaborate. “These both seem to match the shirt somewhat.”

“Ah it was a take on a quote I read. In a book called Safe Haven. I mean I am sure it is out there in other books and such, but that is where I happened to have read it.” She said softly, and he tiled his head curiously, the name of the book did sound kind of familiar. “Though I did take it a bit of a poetic spin on the quote, as it was something that seemed to be pretty fitting for what we are talking about.” She added, and he smiled, nodding. ”Makes enough sense. Sometimes quotes have a bigger punch if they’re more poetic, I can get that. I’m just not too good with literature stuff, my thing is with my hands, I’m good at making things, building things, fixing things, that sorta stuff.” He said with a somewhat sheepish smile, chuckling. “Yeah that is completely true. Going into debt over something as silly shopping.” She said with a bit of a nervous chuckle, even as he smiled warmly. ”There’s nothing wrong with loving shopping though. I’ve heard it’s a lot like therapy, or similar to me working on my bike, soothing.” He added, because honestly, he could get that.

Vivian chuckled a little at what he’d said, and he smiled in turn. “Sounds good!” She smiled brightly at that, and Connor laughed quietly, grinning, he liked that she could joke around, that she could laugh, be familiar in that way that usually took some weeks to get to that level of familiarity. It was nice, that’s for sure. Nothing like those crazy salespeople. “Oh yeah, Holiday season.” She shuddered and he laughed, nodding. “Though I will admit I feel sorry for some of the salespeople that have to work during Black Friday. The worst concept ever made. Be all thankful for things you have the day before, only to spend the next day running around frantically to grab some crazy sales for more random stuff they do not need.” She added, shaking her head, and he nodded, definitely agreeing. ”Oh, I know. I mean, I get that it’s their job, and a lot of times they’re paid by how much they sell, but come on, you can’t tell me they sell that much more if they hound people?” He said in turn, raising a brow. “And that is usually why during the holiday season I order everything online. Or at least most of the things I get for people.” Vivian said and he grinned.

”I should do that for next year. I really should. That’s a lot smarter than waiting till the last minute and then freaking out because there’s next to nothing left….like I may or may not have done before.” Connor admitted with a grin before following her lead happily, all too glad to hand over the lead to someone who actually knew what she was talking about, watching her look over at the shirt again, and then reaching for a flowery jewelry set, and then another one that was a bit more elaborate. “These both seem to match the shirt somewhat.” She said, and Connor thought for a moment before smiling. ”I’ll get her the first one. That way she can wear it with more stuff, you know? It won’t be as big and that kind of thing…um, which hopefully sounds like smart reasoning?” He said with a crooked grin.

“Hey that is pretty helpful. If it was not for having my brothers I do not think I would ever have anything that needed to be put together.” Vivian said giggling softly. She always believed that everyone had place for things. There was a bright smile from her. “Oh yeah, it is pretty relaxing for me.” She said softly. And she would argue that with her siblings about that every time. Though she felt like maybe she should have Connor visit her family just have him share his thoughts on shopping with her family. She was sure that would go over greatly. She chuckled lightly and shrugged her shoulders thinking over that.

Vivian nodded her head in agreement about that. “People just think the best way to run things is to hound them. I will say more like that would not work in my line of work.” She said picturing some of the waitstaff badgering the costumer would go over horribly. “I think it is the worse when they badger people with guilt. I hate when I go shopping and seeing someone trying to buy something for a significant other, only for salesclerk to convince them to buy something way out of their price range.” She said shaking her head again. “Though lucky you ran into someone like me. But here is a big hint, avoid going to any high name brand places unless you know exactly what you want to by.” She said with a nod. She thought that was the best advice she could give him.

She had to agree about shopping online though... “I do know some people that do all their shopping after the holidays. Like they do not celebrate Christmas on Christmas, and so they buy all their gifts after the holidays since there are still pretty good sales;however, it is less hassle. “ Not she could do that, as her family always celebrated the holiday on the correct day. Back to the task at hand with helping him pick out a piece of jewelry, she thought she found the best pieces. “It makes sense to me. Better to have something you can wear more often over only wearing it once. I mean I guess that would work out if you happened to be rich and never wear the same thing twice.” She said with a bit of a giggle. Not that she could afford to that. Nor would she really want to. Even though she loved to shop, she never wanted to do that to a point where she needed basically a bedroom size closet for everything she owned.

“Hey that is pretty helpful. If it was not for having my brothers I do not think I would ever have anything that needed to be put together.” Vivian said, giggling softly, and he grinned widely, chuckling quietly. ”Well I’m definitely glad that you think so. My ma-girlfriend does as well, but I don’t know, what some people can do with their minds outweighs what I can do, I think anyhow.” Connor said with a smile. “Oh yeah, it is pretty relaxing for me.” She said softly, and he smiled kindly, understandingly. ”I can see why.” He told her honestly, and he could. He could see how the almost mind-numbing process of shopping could ease one’s frets.

Vivian nodded her head in agreement, and he smiled, watching her. “People just think the best way to run things is to hound them. I will say more like that would not work in my line of work.” She said, and he chuckled softly, nodding in understanding. ”Sometimes it works, but most times it really doesn’t. Like those telemarketers.” He said, nodding. “I think it is the worse when they badger people with guilt. I hate when I go shopping and seeing someone trying to buy something for a significant other, only for salesclerk to convince them to buy something way out of their price range.” She said, shaking her head again. “Though lucky you ran into someone like me. But here is a big hint, avoid going to any high name brand places unless you know exactly what you want to buy.” She said with a nod, and he grinned. ”Yeah, I kind of learned that the hard way once…let’s just say the only reason I’ll be going back soon is to pick out a ring.”

Connor watched as she seemed to agree about online shopping. “I do know some people that do all their shopping after the holidays. Like they do not celebrate Christmas on Christmas, and so they buy all their gifts after the holidays since there are still pretty good sales; however, it is less hassle.“ She said, and Connor chuckled, nodding. ”Yeah, I’d probably be lie that, or at least, I’d want to buy everything online, and just be done, but then I guess it’d ruin the whole holiday cheer you know? The way the stores play holiday music months before it actually gets close, the way people run around in some sort of hurry.” He told Vivian with a laugh, grinning. “It makes sense to me. Better to have something you can wear more often over only wearing it once. I mean I guess that would work out if you happened to be rich and never wear the same thing twice.” She said with a bit of a giggle, and he grinned. ”Well, I don’t know about wearing everything once, but then that might make sense if you like giving clothes up for charity and that kind of thing.”

Vivian had her views of the world and how she saw people fitting into them. Everyone had a purpose they just needed to find one. And she was also a firm believer that everyone needed to do something to relax, which was something that shopping totally that was her relaxing. She chuckled lightly when he mentioned that he can see why. Ah now why couldn't her siblings be that understanding? Oh well, family was meant to tease you after all. As someone who happened to shop a lot, she really ended up being annoyed with pushy salesclerks. Her eyes rolled a bit as she made a noise of disgust. “Ugh, do not get me started on telemarketers. They are worse then the salesclerks in a store. And why I rarely answer my phone unless I know who is calling. “She grumbled. Luckily she had not been bothered by too many telemarketers on her cellphone and she just lets it ring through on the home phone.

“Hmm I think you are the first person I have met that actually likes that. I mean I admit is cheerful and such, but the crowds in certain places kind of take away the holiday cheer.” Vivian said with a bit of a shrug. But everyone saw things differently. Maybe he had something of an advantage where people were not so grumpy around him because he happens to be so tall. She would love to see someone try to ruin his holiday cheer and get away with it. She had hard enough time people taking her seriously as a young woman that ran a whole business, she was sure she could not be really intimidating to other people to not ruin her holiday cheer. Back on the track of clothing and such, she giggled a bit at what he said. “Hmm I would hope that most of them give it up to charity... but I fear they don't. At least with the people who can actually afford to do things like that.” She said softly, mostly as she could not think on the top of her head of any celebrity that has done such a thing. “Is there anything else you want to look at for her?” She asked.

Connor smiled faintly, his gaze kindly amused, wondering how he’d gotten here, chatting with a perfectly nice woman, who was so kind as to help him find things for Ana. It was just odd, he’d never have thought he’d be doing this if you’d have asked him just this morning. And yet here he was, having a perfectly intelligent conversation while also having the woman be a life saver by helping him out with buying a gift or two…or more…for his Ana. “Ugh, do not get me started on telemarketers. They are worse than the salesclerks in a store. And why I rarely answer my phone unless I know who is calling.” She grumbled with a sound of disgust, and he chuckled, eyes glinting with understanding and amusement as he nodded. ”I get the feeling. Although for me it’s more like old friends wanting me back in their business or whatever it is they’re doing now.” He said, grinning crookedly. ”I don’t know if that’d be worse or better than telemarketers.”

“Hmm I think you are the first person I have met that actually likes that. I mean I admit is cheerful and such, but the crowds in certain places kind of take away the holiday cheer.” She said with a bit of a shrug, and he smiled somewhat ruefully. ”Let’s just say I’ve been around long enough to know what it was like when the holiday rush didn’t involve people getting trampled to death to get their items. I guess I’m just a little nostalgic is all.” Connor admitted with a faint smile. Hearing her giggle had him looking over as she seemed to find amusement in what he’d said, making him smile faintly. “Hmm I would hope that most of them give it up to charity...but I fear they don't. At least with the people who can actually afford to do things like that.” She said softly, and he nodded, shrugging a bit. ”Yeah, not everyone’s that good and selfless.” He said in agreement. “Is there anything else you want to look at for her?” Vivian asked, and he thought for a moment before smiling sheepishly and shaking his head. ”No, I think this is great, thank you so much.”

“Hmm” Vivian said softly thinking over the options that Connor had mentioned. “I would have to say I have never been in that kind of experience, so I will have to take your word for it.” She let out a little bit of a nervous chuckle. She knew that she should probably not laugh over such things but just something she could not help. “Though I do hope for your sake, they are not too pushy like telemarketers.” She offered up a warm smile. She knew that things were annoying when dealing with people like telemarketers or salesclerks who brought up this conversation in the first place. But she knew that it was a lot harder to take any kind of pressure from people who actually meant something to you outside of being just a random stranger.

What Connor had said caused Vivian to arch a brow a little, as she curious what he meant by that. She just was not going to press the issue as it really was not her business. They lived in the world where vampires and other creatures existed, so the fact that he was older then he looked should not be all that shocking. Hell, she could turn into a dove from time to time. She was not exactly the queen of what was normal no matter how much she tried to be sometimes. “I hope to someday see less trampling and more holiday cheer.” She smiled softly, as it was a hopeful dream of hers. But there was really no way to know when that will ever happen. “And I shall be jealous that you have gotten to see it.” She giggled softly again.

Vivian was sure there were not many selfless people left in the world, though she knew that it was not easy being completely selfless. She just always did her best to be a good person and help out with how she could. And it was days like this she went out to spoil herself only to be caught up helping someone else. Funny how things played out. “You are very welcome.” She had a bright smile on her face happy she was able to help him so much. “And I do hope your girlfriend enjoys the gifts.” She said softly, still feeling quite proud of herself. “Well I should let you get onto paying for these things. It was a pleasure to meet you. And you really should swing by the Avery Diner sometime, bring your girlfriend. I am sure you two would enjoy as it is a pretty cozy place.”Even if she was being completely biased. With that she gave a little wave of good bye before turning her attention back to the shoes that had drawn her into the shop in the first place.

OoC Note: I think this is a good wrap up point, feel free to add your ending post ^^.